The Outsiders: A New Take
by faithwolff14
Summary: What could happen if the outsiders story was changed a little? Two new characters to the gang, and some scenes changed. Rated T for blood, violence, and everything else that's in the outsiders. Sucky summary, better story. Hope you like!
1. Meeting the Gang

**Author's Note: As you've read in the summary, there WILL be familiar scenes in this fanfic that were in the original story, just tweaked a little. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! " The Outsiders" is owned by S.E. Hinton. I own nothing accept for two characters.**

The Outsiders: A New Take.

I was walking on the almost abandoned streets of greaser territory. It was a nice day, the sun out and all. I had a lot of things on my mind. I finished a book a while ago, talking about a girl doing something brave, or something. I, on the other hand, am not a girl in a hero story. I'm 14 years old, have green eyes, and slightly long, dark blonde hair. I don't really amount to anything. A blue Mustang drove by, and I stiffened up. It was full of Socs, but, thankfully they didn't notice me.

I was about to turn the corner to get back to my make-shift home, if that's what you want to call it, when I heard something. I turned to the direction of the sound to find a boy getting jumped. I looked and saw the same blue Mustang. _" So that's where they were heading.."_ I thought to myself. " Help! Help!" he called. " Shut him up!" one of them shouted. I was about to go and help, when other people were shooting toward them. They took care of them, and was checking on the boy.

I decided things were taken care of, so I made my way home. The next day, however, was not going to be my day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was another nice day, so I went out for a walk. The wind was blowing lightly, and it was warm. It seemed like it would be an actual **good** day, but boy, was I wrong! I heard a familiar sound. The sound of a car engine.

_" No! Not them! Why today? Why any day?!" _I thought to myself, breaking into a fast walk. " Hey! It's a greaser girl!" one of them shouted. I then broke into a run. I had no blade, no weapon, not even a busted bottle.

-" Get her!"

- " Is she even worth it, Bob?"

- " You think I care?"

That's all I could hear, besides my own thoughts: _Get away, get away, get away!_

Then, I felt the ground come up to meet me, with the extra weight of the Socs on me. " Get off!" I shouted, struggling. One of them slugged me, making my head hit the pavement. I guess they were tryin' to shut me up. I was dazed from impact, but still trying to get away. I got an arm free, and knocked the Soc on top of me off. I struggled to get up, and as soon as I was up, I broke into a run.

My head was bleeding from when I hit the pavement, and I was extremely dizzy. I ended up falling down, in spite of myself, and the Socs made sure I wouldn't try to run again. " Let's prove to her what she gets for not taking her jumping like a good girl!" one shouted. The others shouted their approval. " Help!" I called out desperately. One took out a switchblade, and was laughing, mercilessly. He was slashing my arms, and I was screaming in pain. I was losing a lot of blood, and I thought they were actually going to kill me.

Just then, my saviors came. I remember two of them jumping over me, takin' care of the Socs. Another came and turned me over, makin' sure I was alive, at least. " Get outta here!" one of them shouted to the Socs. I recognized the voice. It was the kid I saw gettin' jumped the other day.

They came over to look at me, but I was already about to faint, though. I remembered one of them saying: " Have those Socs sunk so low to jump a girl?!"

The last thing I heard before I fainted was a soft, soothing voice saying: " Don't worry. Everything will be fine. It's gonna be okay..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I regained consciousness on.... a couch. I woke up, and noticed my arms were bandaged and so was the spot on my head. From what I could see, I was at a house, and it wasn't mine. I looked around to see that I wasn't alone. There was a guy with complicated swirls in his hair, playing Poker with a kid who had a band-aid on his forehead. I guessed he's the boy who got jumped. I looked over to see who else was playing.

This guy, though, was very familiar. _" Huh? Blonde hair, high cheekbones, elfish look....." _Then it hit me. Dallas Winston! If this was a gang, how did they get **him** in?!

There was one more person playing. He was very handsome, but, wasn't my type. He looked related to the younger kid. " So, the Socs jumped her?" someone asked. I looked over in the direction of the voice. He looked about twenty, and had ice blue-green eyes. " Yeah. Ponyboy, Johnny and I came just in time. I swear, it was merciless. You saw her arms didn't ya?" a kid with dark brown hair and gray eyes explained. " Okay, okay Fang! Don't get yourself in a bunch!" a man with rusty-colored side-burns and the same gray eyes said.

_" Fang?" _I thought to myself._ " Who names their kid Fang?" _

" Um, guys? She's awake."

That voice! That same, soothing voice I heard. Everyone gathered around the couch. " Guys! Back up, give her some air!" the twenty year old said. I tried getting up, but it hurt too much. " D-Don't over-do it." a boy with black hair and tan skin said. _" So he's the owner of the voice." _I thought. " Wh-Where am I?" I stuttered. " You're at the Curtis's house, little lady." the guy with the sideburns answered in a matter-of-fact way.

I tried to get up again, but one of my arm wounds opened. " Ah!" I grunted. " Johnny, go get more bandage!" the younger kid ordered. The black-haired kid got up and went to get it. _" That's his name? That's actually kinda nice.." _I thought. He re-wrapped my arm in that area. I coulda swore I felt my cheeks get hot for a second. " There we go." he started. " Be careful, though. The others can s-still open." he finished, looking away sheepishly.

" Alright. Um....... why did you guys...save me?" I asked. Some of them looked like I was speaking nonsense. " What'cha mean? We aren't allowed to?" the boy who was known as Fang asked. " That's not what I meant, I just thought it was everyone for themselves, unless you're in a gang." I explained. " Well, Ponyboy over here saw them, and I was the first to start running at them. It was instinct." he stated. _" So, the boy with the cut is known as Ponyboy?" _I thought.

" Ponyboy?" I asked. " What? It's my name and I'm proud of it." Ponyboy said in his defense. " Oh, no, I wasn't gonna say it was weird! It's actually very unique." I assured. He gave me a slight surprised look. " What about you guys?" I asked. " I'm Darrel, but everyone calls me Darry." the twenty year old replied. " I'm Two-Bit!" the guy with the sideburns said cheerfully.

" Steve." the guy with the complicated swirls in his hair said. " I'm Sodapop. Nice to meet ya!" Ponyboy's brother said, extending his hand. I carefully shook it, not trying to re-open my wounds. " You don't need to know who I am." Dallas grumbled. " Actually, I know who you are." He turned and looked at me. " I mean, I've seen you in the paper. You're Dallas Winston." I said, trying to avoid his piercing stare.

" I'm Fang." the kid with dark brown hair and gray eyes replied. " Is that you're real name?" I asked. " No, but you better call me this." he said, giving me a warning glance. " Sir, yes, sir!" I said sarcastically. Everyone chuckled. " I-I'm.....Johnny." Johnny said shyly. " Hi.." I said back. " Where are my manners? What's you're name?" Sodapop asked nicely. " I'm Keisha." I replied. I looked around, and it was a pretty nice house. " Maybe I should go home.." I said quietly, but Darry heard me. " Oh no. You ain't leaving until you can't open those cuts!" he said firmly.

" Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden to you guys." I replied in my defense. " Ah.... you ain't gonna be a burden. Heck, it's not every day that you **don't** see one of the gang on the couch!" Two-Bit said, and laughed.

I smiled. I guess Two-Bit can make anyone grin. " Alright, well...... I'll stay 'till my arms are healed enough. Okay?" I said, trying to be polite. " Hmm...I'll think about it." Darry replied. Then, the phone rang. Darry went to answer it. " So..... what's your house like?" Two-Bit asked. I cocked an eyebrow, wondering why he would want to know. " Hey, Two-Bit! She can do that eyebrow trick like you!" Sodapop pointed out.

Darry walked back in the room. " Well, I gotta go to work.." he said sadly. " Why?! It's your day off!" Ponyboy complained. " Someone went ahead and injured themselves, and I was the only one they could call in. Don't worry, it's only for a few hours." Darry finished, tousling Ponyboy's hair as he went to get ready. " Man, that's crap!" Ponyboy stated as he sat down in a huff in the chair. " Don't worry, Pony." Sodapop said kindly.

" See ya later." Darry said on his way out. " Well, I'm heading over to Buck Merril's." Dallas said as he made his way to the door. " See ya, Dally!" Two-Bit said as he waved. " So.... uh.... what exactly happened?" I asked Ponyboy.

" You must've hit your head, cause it was bleedin' pretty bad. Anyway, when we came, the Soc on top of you was cuttin' up your arms, and laughing while he did it." Ponyboy replied. As he went on, the pictures of it flashed through my mind. I don't know what it was, but my breathing quickened, and I started to shake. " Knock it off, Pony!" Fang scolded. " What'd I do?" he asked. " You're scaring her." Johnny said calmly.

I calmed down. I guess they scared me more than I thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that evening, my arms felt better. Darry was already home, so I got up and went to ask him about heading home. " Hey, Darrel?" I asked. " Hm?" he answered. " Um... my arms are better now. Also, I probably should be heading home..." I started, looking at the clock. " Are you sure? 'Cause you can stay overnight. We won't mind." he replied. " Well, I don't want to....cause any problems. I mean, you were saying that sometimes the others come and stay overnight, and I don't want to take up any space.." I tried to explain. He gave me a look of questioning, but said: " Alright. But have some of the gang go with you."

I nodded.

" Pony! Johnny! Fang! Go walk Keisha home!" Darry shouted from his seat. " Got it!" Ponyboy shouted back. " Got it, Superman!" Fang shouted from his seat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the walk home, we were all getting to know each other. " So.. how did you guys get in the gang?" I asked. " Well, Darry and Soda were really the ones who got me in." Ponyboy replied.

" I just kinda came in." Fang said, shrugging. " What'cha mean?" I asked. " I met Ponyboy and Johnny, and became part of the gang." he explained. " Um..... I guess it's the same a-as Fang....or it was Dally..." Johnny mumbled. " Mm." I said, nodding.

" So, you thinkin' 'bout wanting to join?" Johnny asked. " Oh! Uh.... well you guys have quite a lot, and I don't know how much of a fighter or 'whatever-there-needs-to-be' I am." I replied. " Everyone's got somethin'." Ponyboy mentioned. " Well.. I'll think about it." I finally said. " Just come over to my house in the morning if you want to be in, and we'll discuss it." Ponyboy said. " Oh yeah, Pony. I'm stayin' overnight again." Fang told him.

" Again? Geez, you stay over way too much." Ponyboy said, chuckling. " What can I say?" Fang started, shrugging. " My mom doesn't want me in the house, and I don't want to **be** in the house. I mean, if I went home, my ma would probably be drunk, she'd ask where I was, I'd say a smart-aleck remark, then she'll throw the bottle at my head, then she'll chase me out the house with the busted end. Plain and simple." he finished in his defense.

" Alright, alright. Whatever, Fang." Ponyboy said, throwing a fake punch at Fang. " Whoa!" he said, ducking. " Uh, Ponyboy?" I asked. " What?" he replied. " What if I get there and you four are still asleep?" I continued. " The door's always unlocked, so just come in." he answered, starting to get into a play-fight with Fang. While Ponyboy and Fang were play-fighting, I walked up to Johnny. " Whoa! Ponyboy, watch it! You're gonna make me corner myself again! Why do you do that every time we play-fight?!" Fang yelled as they were running around.

" So, Johnny? Tell me, why do you hang out with these two again?" I asked. " Well, Ponyboy was almost as quiet as me, then Fang joined and him and Ponyboy became buddies, so of course I became Fang's friend. He helped Ponyboy get his confidence up, and it's been like this ever since." he replied. " What about yours?" I asked. " My what..? Oh, **my** confidence. Well.....it's complicated." he answered.

Of course, I was concerned, but I didn't press. There was an uncomfortable silence, besides the shouting of Ponyboy and Fang. I could faintly hear Fang say " Whoa! Watch the dog tags!".

" So, where's this house of yours?" he asked, scanning the streets. " We're near. Oh! Here we are!" I replied. I noticed Johnny's eyes widened slightly. " This is where you live?" he asked, looking at me slightly confused. " Yeah, not much, is it?" I answered, trying to force a grin.

Johnny didn't seem to think too much about it. " Hey boys! We're here!" I shouted at them. They came up next to us, and were scanning the house. " This is where you live?" Ponyboy asked. " Sadly." I replied. " Man, if Darry found out that you lived in a place like this, he probably would tell you to stay at our place." he finished.

" What a piece of junk!" Fang said aloud, seeming to forget I was there. " Fang!" Johnny scolded. " What?! Seriously! This place looks like it'll cave in any minute!" he exclaimed, a defiant look on his face. I just cocked an eyebrow at him, then turned to the others. " Before you leave, could I ask how old you guys are?" " Fourteen." Ponyboy replied. " Sixteen." Johnny and Fang said together. " Hm. I'm fourteen as well." I answered.

" So...you gonna take up that offer?" Ponyboy asked. " I'll think about it." I answered, heading to the door. " See ya!" Fang shouted. " Bye, guys!" I shouted back. Then, we went our own separate ways.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, I actually thought about it. I decided that I'll go see them in the morning.

The next day, I woke up and looked at the clock. I jumped up when I saw that it said 1:30 p.m. " Aw, crap! They're probably thinkin' I'm sayin' no!" I said as I struggled to get ready. After a few minutes of getting ready, I ran toward the Curtis's house. Since it was another warm day, I just wore my dark gray T-shirt, ( with the sleeves cut out, of course.) my black jeans, and black tennis shoes.

I kept my hair back in a low ponytail, just to keep it out of my face. Doesn't help though that my bangs cover my eyes, unless I push them to the side. I kept running, looking for any sign of the boys or the house. I stopped to take a breath. Then, I felt something poke me in the back. " Stick 'em up!" a gruff voice said. " Don't shoot!" I said in a scared tone. " Oh, we'll be doing the talking here, missy!" another said.

I was really scared by then. " Alright.." one other gruff voice said, walking in front of me. My eyes were shut tight, so I didn't know who it was. " Where were you this morning?" the voice asked. I could slightly recognize it. I opened one eye, and I saw it was Johnny! Just smilin' like I made a joke! " What?!" I said, starting to smile. I turned to see that the two behind me were none other than Ponyboy and Fang. All three of them laughed.

" You guys had me scared to death!" I said, as I fake punched Fang on the arm. " We've been lookin' for you, though!" Ponyboy said, like I forgot something. " Why?" I asked, dumbfounded. " Well, we were wonderin'....if you thought about joining.." Johnny said shyly, glancing at Ponyboy and Fang. " Well......." I started, looking away. I could see out the corner of my eye that the boy's all thought I was gonna say no.

" What do you think?" I said, starting to smile. " Whoo! Alright!" Fang and Ponyboy said aloud. Johnny smiled. " Oh, wait! We gotta tell the guys! C'mon." Ponyboy said, remembering. " Race ya!" Fang said. " Only a short distance, okay?" Johnny asked. " Sure, whatever." Fang replied.

We all got lined up, then Ponyboy counted down. " Ready, set,.....go!" he yelled, and we all broke into a run. Ponyboy got a bit ahead, Fang right behind him, and me and Johnny were close. I glanced at Johnny and gave a slight grin. Then, I started gaining. When I passed, Fang yelled " What?!". I caught up to Ponyboy, and even he was surprised. I passed him up, just as we came to the finish line.

" Whoa! You're pretty fast!" Ponyboy exclaimed, trying to catch his breath.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We entered the house, and we come to find that basically everyone but Darry, Sodapop, and Steve were at the house. " Hey guys! Got a new member!" Fang said aloud, throwing himself on the couch. " The broad?" Dallas asked, looking up from the Poker game. " Her name's Keisha, Dally." Johnny mumbled. " Like I give a crap." he retorted. Johnny looked away. " Yes, Dally. Keisha here's gonna be part of the gang." Ponyboy said, sitting down in the chair.

" Cool!" Two-Bit said happily. " I don't know, man." Dallas said, looking at me with a suspicious look in his eyes. " Aw, Dally. You know s-she won't cause trouble.." Johnny said, trying to help me. " Whatever." he said, looking back down at his cards. " Sorry 'bout Dally. He's not always like this, ya just need to get to know 'im better." Johnny whispered to me. " It's alright." I replied. " Well, Darry and Soda will be happy that you're joinin'." Fang said from his seat.

Later that day, Darry, Sodapop, and Steve came home. " Huh? Keisha? What're you doin' here?" Sodapop asked. " She's joinin' the gang, Soda." Ponyboy replied. " Oh, really?" Darry asked. I nodded sheepishly. " Well, it's probably better this way. You'll have people to help you if you get jumped." he continued.

" Well, I should get home." I said as I got up. " Got it. Johnny, Fang, let's go." Ponyboy said, getting up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" Thanks, guys." I said as we walked. " Don't mention it." Fang said, just walking like it's nothing. " Hey. What's that?" Ponyboy asked, pointing at the sky. It looked like a smoke cloud. " Oh no!" I yelled, shooting off in the direction of the smoke. " Keisha!" I heard Johnny shout. But I wasn't going to stop. I stopped in front of my house, just to freeze. It was **my** house that was on fire! The boys came up, and Johnny made a small gasp.

There was a piece of paper on the grass. I went and picked it up, and it read: _" Hey grease girl, hope you like our present." _The writing was very messy, so they were probably drunk. I was shaking with rage, and I threw the paper down. As I walked away, I remember hearing one of them pick it up, and Fang was saying every cuss word he could think of about them.

Johnny walked over to me, and put a hand on my shoulder. " Are you...alright?" he asked. " No! My house is burnin' down by the second, and now I have nowhere to live!" I yelled, tears stinging my eyes. I saw Johnny jump back a little, and I continued. " I'm sorry, I just don't get a Soc's motive...... I wasn't tryin' to take out my anger on you." I said, the tears starting to run down my face.

" Hey, it'll be alright." he tried to sound reassuring. I tried to wipe my tears away, but they just kept coming. " What'll I do now?" I asked. " Umm..." Johnny started, looking over at Fang and Ponyboy. They both shrugged. " Well...... uhh.... I don't think Ponyboy's place has room...." he looked over to Ponyboy, who gave him a look that said he was right. " .....and Fang's stayin' at Pony's..." he continued, looking at Fang. " Well.....maybe she can stay at **your** house, Johnnycake." Fang offered. " Oh no! She would **not** feel at home! Even **if** she did, we'd have to leave the house almost every night!" he said, thinking about his home, I bet.

Then, of course, it started to rain. " Crap!" Fang yelled. Johnny sighed, then said: " Alright. C'mon, Keisha. There's nothin' we **can** do now." " A-Alright.." I said as I followed him. " See ya tomorrow!" Johnny shouted to Ponyboy and Fang. " See ya!" they yelled back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Johnny and I was running to get out of the rain, he told me this: " Couple of things I gotta tell you." " What?" I asked. " Well, my folks fight a lot, so you'll have to ignore it. Also, they probably won't be so happy 'bout me havin' you stay at the place, so you might need to hide out, okay?" he continued. " It doesn't matter. I'll probably only stay tonight." I said. " You sure?" he asked. " Yeah." I answered.

We finally got to his house, and it seemed quiet. " Alright. We have to go through my window, got it?" he whispered. I nodded. He silently opened it, then helped me in. " Johnny?! Is that you?!" a woman called. " Crap! My mom's probably drunk again." he said, heading to the door. " Stay here." he whispered. He walked out, letting his mom know he's here. I leaned up against the door, and heard the whole thing.

" Where've you been?!" his mom yelled, starting to slur. " I was out. Why.... do you care?" he asked in a surprisingly hopeful tone. I heard the sound of a smack and Johnny grunting.

" Don't....make it seem like I care about you! Go up to your room and stay there!" she yelled. My eyes widened at her hateful words, and I felt bad. I heard the sound of footsteps, and quickly got away from the door. Johnny burst in, and quickly shut the door behind him. I heard the sound of a bottle breaking against the door.

I noticed Johnny, just standing there. " Johnny?" I asked. He leaned back on the door, a pained expression on his face. " I'm sorry you-" his voice broke, and he took a quavering breath. " I'm sorry you had to listen to that.." he said, not trying to make eye contact. He walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. I noticed he started to shake. I went and sat down beside him, and tried to comfort him. " It's alright.." I said. I let him lean on me, let him calm down.

" Thanks.." he said. " Don't mention it." I replied.

_" Hopefully, things'll get better." _I thought to myself. But, it wouldn't.


	2. Pasts Revealed

**Alright! Hopefully this will turn out good. I own nothing except for 2 characters. " The Outsiders" is owned by S.E. Hinton.**

I was able to successfully hide from Johnny's parents. Although, I could hear his father's cold words when he comes in. " Hey! Wake up, you stupid lump! Do you remember how to say hello to me this morning?!" he shouted, shaking Johnny awake. " Hey, dad....." he said with barely any emotion. " Good, you remembered how to talk! Listen, if you know how. I'm working late, so tell your mother. Got it?!" he said aloud.

I didn't understand why he kept making it look like Johnny was stupid, but I was really almost close to tears. I couldn't believe the brutality of his parents. " Yeah, dad...." Johnny said in the same tone. His dad finally left, and I came out of my hiding place. " Um......morning?" I said quietly, not knowing what to say. " Hey." he replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We went out, and was heading over to Ponyboy's place. " Uh..... w-what was your dad meaning.. with the whole 'remembering' business?" I dared to ask. Johnny looked at me, and I was about to regret asking, but surprisingly he answered. " Well, in school.... I wouldn't get things as fast as everyone else. Because of that, the teachers and my parents thought I was just stupid. They don't understand." he said, looking forward.

" Well, I think that the thought of you being stupid is stupid." I said with slight anger. I could see he gave me a surprised look. " Really?" he asked. " Why wouldn't it? I mean, no one's perfect! Not everyone's gonna get something the first time!" I explained. I coulda swore I saw him blush a little. Then, I felt myself get tackled. " Surprise!" Fang yelled. " Ah, get off!" I said, wrestling him off and to the ground. " Geez! You know how to fight?" he asked as he was struggling to get up. " Why wouldn't I?" I replied.

I finally let him up, and we dusted ourselves off. " Soooo..... how was it spending the night at your **boyfriend'****s **house?" Fang asked, smiling. I punched him in the arm. " Ouch.. anyways, I got a note from Two-Bit for ya." Fang said, tossing the paper to me. I opened it up, and read it aloud only for me and Johnny to hear:

_" Hey Keisha! _

_Heard about the fire....._

_come to the Curtis's for a surprise! _

_Two-Bit Mathews"_

" A surprise?" I asked. " Hey, don't look at us. **We **don't even know what it is!" Ponyboy said as I glanced at the two. " Yeah, we ran into Two-bit and he handed that to us and told us to give it to you." Fang explained. So, to find out what this " surprise" was, we continued in the direction of Ponyboy's house. When we opened the door, we saw what the surprise was.

Laying on the couch was seven, count 'em, **seven** groups of clothes, there were seven shirts and seven jeans. There was also the basic toiletries ( hairbrush, toothbrush, etc.), a **switchblade**, a hoodie and some extra things.

All of our jaws dropped. " Whoa!" Fang said quietly. There was another note, and I picked it up and read it:

_" Hello again!_

_Well, here's your surprise! _

_I hope you like! There's enough clothes here to suit you for seven days, just keep washing them._

_Also, you now have a way to protect yourself. Oh, and with the...uh.. **extra** things...I needed a girl's help getting those..._

_Anyway, I hope you like, and I'll be by the Curtis's house later._

_With love,_

_Two-Bit Mathews."_

" Oh.. does he mean _**these**_ extra things?" Fang said, holding up something I didn't want him to hold up. I blushed and snatched them away from him. " Give me those!" I said a little fast. I heard Ponyboy start to laugh, and I could see Johnny blush. For some odd reason, I didn't really want Johnny to see that. " Ponyboy, could I use your bathroom to get cleaned up?" I asked, my blushing not ceasing.

" Yeah, sure." he answered, still chuckling. I rushed to the bathroom, taking a slightly faded blue T- shirt and dark blue jeans, the other two things I needed, and the toiletries. I noticed that I still had the gauze wrap on my arms from three days ago. I took it off, expecting to see ugly scars. Thankfully, though, only a few of the cuts were gonna be scars. Actually, I think they make me look tuff, or tough, at least.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After I was done, I went out into the living room and watched TV with the boys. " Hey, Two-Bit's missing Mickey!" Fang said, keeping the channel on. " I am?!" Two-Bit shouted, making everyone, especially Johnny, jump. " Man, Two-Bit! You **want **to send one of us to the hospital?!" Ponyboy shouted, trying not to grin. Two-Bit looked shocked, or tried to, at least. " Aw.....ya really think I would do that?" he asked, then quickly tackled Ponyboy to the floor.

" Oughtta do that now!" he shouted. " Ahem!" Fang called out. " What?" Two-Bit asked. " You. Mickey. Missing it. Remember?" he asked. " Oh, yeah!" Two-Bit said, running to the kitchen to grab some cake and a beer. " Oh, and Two-Bit?" I started, walking into the kitchen. " Hm?" he asked, looking up. After he stood up, I gave him a hug. " Thanks." I finished. " Aw.. it was nothin'." I let go, and I felt a tear roll down my face. " What th-?" I asked, wiping it away. " Oh, no. Now you gonna get me started...." Two-Bit said over- dramatically, starting to fake blubber.

" Good goin', Keisha!" Fang said in a slight sing-song voice while smiling. I gave Fang a " you're askin' for it" kind of glare, and he could see it. " Oh? You wanna get **that** way? Well, then...." Fang started, getting up.

I knew what he was doing... he was challenging me! I grinned, and said this: " Alright. But so we don't mess up Ponyboy's house, we'll take this outside."

Fang nodded, and headed to the door. " I can miss Mickey to see this!" Two-Bit shouted, setting the cake on the table. " Oh, by the way, Two-Bit. How did you get those things?" I asked. " I've got my ways." he said. I just shrugged. Ponyboy and Johnny looked over at each other, and I could tell that their looks basically said, " I'm a goner."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fang and I stood opposite of each other. We were staring each other down. " Well...ladies first." Fang said, waving his hand as a sign. " Pain before beauty." I said, standing in a defiant way. Fang grinned. We walked, circling the other. The other three seemed to be on " the edge of their seats". " I wish I brought that cake out here!" Two-Bit said. Fang finally shot out. I moved out of the way of his punch. I hit him on the back, not hard, and he fell. He did a leg sweep, and it got me down. " Whoa!" I shouted as I hit the ground.

Then, he sat on top. " Give up?" he asked. " Fat chance!" I said, rolling over.

After a few more moments, we were both too tired to try and pin the other down. Two-Bit came out and was acting like a make-shift referee. " 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! Tie!" he shouted, pulling both of us up by our arms. " I'll get you next time." we both said to each other, grinning. Fang, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy were on their way inside, but I felt Johnny tap my shoulder. To tell the truth, the kid doesn't even tap hard enough, I barely felt it.

" What's up?" I asked. " Um.... n-nice job bein' able to....hold your own against Fang." he said, as though he was choosing his words wisely. " Thanks." I replied, and smiled. He looked away, blushing slightly. " Got a fever?" I asked. " No...it's nothin'." he said quickly. I looked at the sky, it seemed like a nice day. " Hey, Johnny?" I asked. " Huh?" he said.

" Come on, let's go to the lot." I said, motioning in that direction. " Um...okay." he said quietly.

As we walked to the lot, we weren't talking much. " So, Johnny.." I started. " Hm?" he asked. " Well...... I know I shouldn't ask this...I tried to think of another place...I-" I began, but Johnny cut me off. " Hey, don't worry. You can stay over at my house, as long as you keep out of my parent's sight. If they ain't too drunk, that is." he said, trying to smile. But I could hear the pain in his voice at the last statement.

" Thanks.." I said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We got to the lot and sat down. " Nice day, huh, Johnny?" I asked. He nodded. We sat in silence for a while. I looked over at Johnny, who seemed to be thinking about something. After a few more silent moments, Johnny spoke.

" Hey, uh.... Keisha?" He started. " Hm?" I asked. He seemed to be fidgeting with a button on his jacket. " Um... the drive-in's showin' a movie tonight...I don't know what, but....uh..." he looked as though he was about to give up asking. I already knew what he wanted to say, however. " Sure, I'll go with you." I said, leaning back. I noticed his eyes widened, but before he turned in my direction, I turned to look up.

" How'd you know?" he asked. I chuckled. " What?" he asked defensively. " Nothing. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything, just you made it a little obvious." I answered. He chuckled a bit himself.

" You two just goin' by yourselves?"

We both jumped. I turned and got red with embarrassment, frustration, and slight annoyance. " Why did you three follow us?!" I asked. Ponyboy leaned up against the tree. " We noticed you two were gone." was all he said. I looked over at Johnny. He wasn't looking at the others, so I guess he was redder than I was and didn't want to show it. " Alright, alright. We know when we're not wanted. C'mon guys." Two-Bit said, as he headed in the direction of Ponyboy's house.

After they left, my cheeks got their regular color back. " Sorry.." Johnny muttered. " 'Bout what?" I asked. " The guys. They always rip on someone if they're with a girl." he explained. " Pfft. I've had friends that's done **worse**. Don't ask." I replied.

We spent a few moments in slightly uncomfortable silence. Then, I asked him if we were still going tonight. He seemed surprised, but said that as long as it's alright with me. So we spent the rest of the afternoon at the lot.

That evening, we ended up not having enough money to get in, so we snuck in. We sat near the front, and waited for the movie to start. " This is nice." I said, looking around. Then, the movie started. " Aw, man. Scary movies.." I whispered. " We can go..." Johnny suggested. " No, I'm a big girl. I can watch these." I said, giving him a reassuring smile. " Alright." he said, and turned back to the movie.

It was about a boy and girl out on a date at night, one of 'em's a were-whatever, your basic, cliche scary movie. It was actually kinda stupid.

" Man, I thought this was actually gonna be **scary**!" I whispered.

" No kiddin'." he said back. We both laughed quietly.

" Gotcha!" someone yelled. " Ah!" I said slightly loud, jumping as I did so. " Fang...." Johnny said a little impatient. Fang and Ponyboy sat down next to us.

" You better be lucky the movie was over!" I shouted. " Whatever. Hey, there's another movie comin' on over there." Fang said, pointing in that direction. " What kind?" Johnny asked. " Ugh. Beach Party..." I said with disgust. " Well, we can make fun of it." Ponyboy suggested.

" Sure, why not?" I said, getting up. We all headed over and took our seats.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Alright, this will be set up in a "mystery science theater" type of way. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up. The movie dialogue will be normal, the group will be in _italics_.**

We open to "Universal Pictures."

_Keisha: Right....this will be set in space. Oh no? False advertisers!_

_Fang: Seriously.._

Directed by Todd Morack.

_Ponyboy: More like Todd **Moron**_.

_Johnny: Yeah. Who in their right mind would direct one of these movies?!_

Opens to people partying.

_Fang: When **doesn't** one of these beach movies open to people partying?!_

Random Girl: Whoo! Spring Break!

_Keisha: Oh, that's new...it's not summer break, but **spring break**!_

_Johnny: It's twice as exciting!_

Pans over crowd, cheesy music in the back, stops at a group of mean looking kids.

_All: Dun, dun, dun!_

Mean Boy: Hey, Johnny. You see that broad over there?

_Johnny: Out of all the names in the world, it had to be mine.._

They walk over and start hitting on her.

_Keisha: ( in a real breathy voice) You better leave me alone or I'll smack you silly!_

Girl smacks the leader and walks off.

_Keisha: ( breathy voice) I warned you!_

Johnny ( on screen): I'll get 'er...one of these days.

_Johnny: ( depressed voice) Yeah, keep tellin' yourself that, big guy._

Screen goes black.

_Fang: Hallelujah!_

Opens on new scene.

_All: Aw, crap!_

More people are dancing.

_Keisha: You know, I wonder if any of them sprained anything yet?_

_Johnny: I dunno._

Someone sits down.

_Ponyboy: Looks like he did._

_Fang: My leg!_

Girl walks up to guy sitting.

Girl: What's wrong, Leotus?

_Keisha: What kind of name is Leotus?_

Leotus: A lotta things.

_Fang: ( in a sad voice) Yeah, I gotta go to the Mental Institute after this._

Some random guy runs across.

_Ponyboy: Gotta go! Gotta go! Gotta go!_

Car: Vrrrrooom!

People are asking what and looking around.

_Keisha: ( sarcastically) Yeah, what was that sound that was obviously a car?_

The car seems to have jumped over something, cause it literally hit the beach.

_All: Whoa!_

_Fang: That's new!_

The mean kids get out and head over to Leotus.

Johnny ( on screen): C'mon sweetie!

Johnny grabs the girl and starts to run.

_Ponyboy: It's the end of the world! Beach movies are starting to have a plot!_

The girl is screaming, Johnny's running to the car, and Leotus runs after him.

Johnny's breathing hard, from running.

_Johnny: ( mimicking the breathing) Wheeze, wheeze! Dang girl, lose some weight! I was just fine 'till I picked you up!_

_All: ( laughs)_

Leotus tackles him.

_Fang: Hi-ya!_

_Ponyboy: Leotus has him down at the Twenty yard line!_

They get into a fight.

_Keisha: Why is it always two guys **literally** fighting over one girl?_

Leotus wins, girl kisses him.

_Johnny: Of course..._

_Keisha: ( breathy voice) I just met you like....five minutes ago, but I feel I must kiss you!  
_

Credits roll.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: Back to Keisha's POV.**

" I just gotta few words for that movie!" Fang said as we left. " Terrible?" I asked. " Horrible?" asked Ponyboy. " Weird?" Johnny asked. " All of the above!" Fang shouted, laughing. We walked a little ways just making jokes about the movie and laughing.

" Alright. Johnnycake, Keisha, we'll see you tomorrow." Ponyboy stated as we parted ways. Once Fang and Ponyboy left, me and Johnny were walking to his house. We didn't want to get there as soon as possible, so we took our time. " Well, tonight was really great. Even if we had some unexpected company." I said, trying to break the silence. " Yeah. Hey, Keisha?" Johnny asked. " What?" I replied.

" Why did you agree?" he asked. I looked at him weird. He noticed and blushed a little. " Never mind.." he said. " No, no. It just surprised me a little. I've never seen anyone ask why the other agreed to go with them before." I explained. " Ah." he said, still looking ahead. " Anyway, I agreed 'cause for one thing, I thought it would be fun. Also, no one's ever asked me to go anywhere with them...so I took the chance." I answered.

" Well, I'm glad I asked you. I really had fun." he said, looking over at me. I blushed a little. " Although, I gotta say, that scary movie doesn't even count in the genre it was in!" I said, looking forward. I didn't hear anything. I looked around, but it was pitch-black almost. " Johnny?" I asked. I heard a howl, and felt the hairs on my neck rise. " Uh, oh..." I said quietly.

" RAWR!" someone growled, grabbing my shoulders. " Ah!" I screamed, jumping three feet almost. I turned, ready to fight. Although, I don't think I could hit the kid standing behind me...

" Johnny! Why you...." I said, doing my best **not** to smile. Johnny laughed, and said sorry. " Don't apologize, I was playing. I'll tell you what, you scared me more than that movie ever would!" I said, and we laughed. As we walked on, we heard shouting coming from his house. " The lot?" I asked. " The lot." He replied with a sigh.

We headed to the lot, and a faded red Chevy slowed down next to us. " Hey, greasers!" one of them shouted, obviously a Soc. We slightly turned to look at them. " I guess it's true what they say....we Soc's have our girls...and you Greasers have your **dirt**!" he shouted. I couldn't keep a surprised look coming onto my face. They drove off laughing. " Dang Soc's..." Johnny muttered. I stayed silent all the way to the lot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When we got there, he showed me the spot he stays at, then started a fire. He sat by the fire while I looked at the stars overhead. " Johnny?" I asked. " Huh?" he asked back. I took in a quavering breath, and Johnny must've heard it, cause he seemed to have his full attention on me. " Do you think...I'm.....just dirt?" I asked, tears starting to form in my eyes. He got up and sat next to me, and put his arm over my shoulders. " No... don't listen to them Soc's..they don't really know much." He said, trying to comfort me.

I buried my face in my arms. " But what if they're **right**? I mean, why do you think I'm here? Why do you think my greedy family took everything I had after my parents died?!" I shouted. Johnny's eyes grew wide when I said the last part. I realized I said something I didn't want to say, and I turned away. " Oh...what do you care?" I started, trying to wipe my tears away. " My life has **no** importance, why should I even say anything?" I said.

Johnny scooted a little closer to me. " Well, I don't know why your family would do that, but.. you've got the gang now, and, well...it seems to me they'd make a better family. They've practically been mine for years.." he finished. I looked at him, and he had a comforting look in his dark eyes. I couldn't help but smile. Then, I noticed something I didn't see before. " What's this?" I asked, lightly touching a mark on his face.

He slightly flinched, but relaxed, and explained. " A few months back.....I was out here at the lot. I was looking for the football that me and the gang use. As I looked, a blue mustang pulled up....and a bunch of Socs got out. They beat me up, maybe almost killed me..." I could see he was starting to shiver, but he went on. " One of them had some rings on, and when he punched me....well, this is a painful reminder." he finished.

I put my hand on his, to let him know I was there if he needed me. I can understand a little of how scary it must've been. " The stars are pretty.." I said, leaning back. " Yeah...." Johnny replied, doing the same.

It wasn't long before sleep claimed me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, I awoke to someone giggling. I opened my eyes to find none other than Ponyboy and Fang, staring down at me. " What?" I asked drowsily. Fang pointed his eyes upward a little. I turned and saw something that made me blush. Somehow, during the night, I had "cuddled" or whatever you call it next to Johnny. He woke up a second later, and it seemed we both jumped a little away from each other. We both blushed, and it seemed both Fang and Ponyboy were literally rolling on the grass laughing. " _Johnny and Keisha, sittin' in a tree..._" Ponyboy started. " _K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_" Fang finished. I smacked them both on the back of the head. " Real mature, guys." Johnny said to the two.

" What time is it?" I asked. " Well, it was about 11:30 when we left to find you." Ponyboy answered. Johnny and I got up and dusted ourselves off. " Let's go see what the gang's doing." Johnny suggested. We headed over to the Curtis's, as usual. As a slight surprise, everyone was there. " Hey, guys. Ain't you three supposed to be workin'?" Johnny asked, looking over at Darrel, Sodapop, and Steve. " I got a call, and my boss is letting me have the day off." Darry explained. " Yeah, and Steve and I here already have the day off. The guy who's **supposed** to work with us finally came to work." Soda explained.

" Yeah...who does he think he is, leavin' all the work to us?!" Steve asked. " Dunno." Soda answered with a shrug. " Oh, hey. Pony, Fang, Johnny, and......" Dallas started. " Keisha?" I asked. " Yeah, you, too. I was thinkin' about goin' to the drive-in tonight. You guys wanna come?" he asked. " Sure, we'll come. Right, guys?" Fang asked. We all nodded. " Alright. I'll see you four later. Meet me at the usual spot." Dally said as he made his way to the door.

" Okay. See ya, Dally." Johnny said before Dally left.

Later that day, we met up with Dally earlier than expected, so we killed some time. We stopped at a gas station, and a fight started. Although, one of them pulled out a switchblade, so we beat it when the fuzz showed up. We chased some kids, then made our way to the drive-in. " Oh yeah, Johnny." Dally started. " What?" he asked. " If, uh...... you and your girlfriend over there want to do whatever, don't do it in front of me." he said, grinning. Fang and Ponyboy were trying to suppress their laughter.

Both Johnny and I blushed, and Johnny just muttered: " Dally, not you, too."

Although everything seemed fine, I couldn't help feeling that something was gonna happen tonight. Something bad.

**Yay! Chap. 2 is up! Hope you liked reading it and your reviews are appreciated! **


	3. The Night I'll Never Forget

**I own nothing except for 2 characters. " The Outsiders" is owned by S.E. Hinton.**

We had enough money to get in, but Dallas made us sneak in. It was another beach movie, but, what can you do? The seating was, from the isle on, Dallas, Ponyboy, Johnny, me, and Fang. We took our seats, and two girls sat in front of us. " Cherry, maybe we should go, we won't have a way home!" the dark-haired girl said to the red-head. " No, Marcia! I came to see a movie and I'm gonna see a movie!" the girl allegedly known as Cherry said annoyed. Something told me they were Socs.

Dallas, though, was already trying to hit on her. I rolled my eyes when I saw him. He would say a terrible remark, and she would yell at him. He tried putting his legs up, but failed when his chair tipped over. We all laughed. " Hey, Dallas. Did ya have a nice trip?" Fang said with a grin on his face. " Yeah, you're lucky that you're far from me. I'll be back." Dallas said as he got up. Fang, Ponyboy, Johnny and I chuckled as we watched him leave. I coulda swore I heard a familiar voice coming from the parking lot.

Dallas came back a few minutes later with some Cokes. " I thought this might cool you off." he said, handing them to the two girls. The red-head splashed it on Dallas, and said some pretty choice words for him. Then, he got worse. She kept yelling at him to stop, and he finally stopped when Johnny spoke up. " C'mon, leave her alone, Dal." he said. Dallas looked dumbfounded. He finally spoke. " What? What'd you say to me?!" he said angrily. I could see Johnny turn a little white. " You heard me.." he said shakily.

Dallas got up in a huff, and stormed off. " Thanks." the red-head said, turning towards us. " It was nothing.." Johnny said quietly. " What're your names?" the dark- haired girl asked. " Johnny." he answered. " Keisha." I said. " Fang." he replied. " Ponyboy." he said a little embarrassed. " Those two names.....they're pretty original." the red-head stated. " Thanks. I've also got a brother named Sodapop." Ponyboy said proudly.

" I'm Sherry Valance, but, everyone calls me Cherry 'cause of my hair." Cherry introduced. " I'm Marcia." she said. After a few moments of silence, Cherry said: " Hey, why don't two of you come and protect us?"

Ponyboy and Fang looked at each other, and they both grinned. " You two go ahead." Johnny said, looking at the two. " Okay, you can stay up here with your girlfriend, while me and Ponyboy go and sit with Cherry and Marcia." Fang said while getting up. I got him good in the arm before he got far. " You two are going out?" Cherry asked. " No." we said at the same time. We both were a little embarrassed that everyone thought we liked each other. " How old are you guys?" she asked.

We all said our ages. I felt someone grab my shoulder and say: " Alright, greasers, you've had it."

I tensed up, and my heart was ready to jump out of me. " Two-Bit!" Fang shouted. I turned and saw it **was** him! I just shook my head. I looked over to Johnny, and I felt bad. He was extremely pale, and his eyes were shut tight. He was breathing in smothered gasps. He opened them, and weakly said hi. " Sorry, buddy. I forgot." Two-Bit said as he messed up Johnny's hair. " Ponyboy. Will you come with me to get some popcorn?" Cherry asked, starting to stand.

" Sure." he replied, getting up. " Get some for me and Johnny, I'll pay." Two-Bit said, tossing some money to Ponyboy. " What about you two?" Ponyboy asked. " I'm not hungry, and Keisha over there can share with her boyfriend." Fang said. I kicked the back of his chair, making him almost flip over the chair in front of him. Two-Bit started whooping with laughter. Fang shot me a glare, and I glared right back.

Ponyboy and Cherry returned, and we continued watching the movie. Johnny didn't mind sharing, as it turned out. During the movie though, I think we pulled a cliche " teenage crush" thing. Why I say that, well.......we both tried to reach in the bag at the same time, and touched. We both retracted, and sat in whatever uncomfortable silence there could be. " Y-You can go ahead.." I whispered. " No, it's okay, g-go ahead.." he whispered back. Something told me we didn't know **what** to do at the moment.

The movie was finally over and we all walked from the drive-in. " So, Ponyboy. What about your oldest brother? Is he funny like Sodapop? Dreamy like you?" Cherry asked. " Darry's not like Soda and he sure as heck ain't like me! He can't stand me. He probably wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, but Soda won't let him." he said with slight anger. Me, Two-Bit, Johnny and Fang all stared. " No..........no, Pony, you got it wrong.." Two-Bit said slowly.

" Gee, Pony....I thought you and Darry were close.." Johnny said quietly. Fang just shook his head. I couldn't say anything, 'cause I didn't know there was a problem. " Well, we ain't! And you can just shut your trap, Johnny Cade! 'Cause you know you ain't wanted at home, either!" Ponyboy said angrily. Johnny looked like Ponyboy just hit him, and his eyes were wide. " Ponyboy!" I said quietly. Two-Bit hit him in the back of the head, hard. Fang looked shocked. After Two-Bit scolded him, Ponyboy apologized. " It's alright, it's the truth anyway.." Johnny said with a bleak grin. I felt bad that it was like that.

Things went from bad to worse. A mustang was trailing us. I turned to look, and it was the same blue mustang. _" Why is it **always** them?!" _I asked myself. " Cherry! They've spotted us!" Marcia said worriedly. " Act normal.." she said. " Who's acting?" Two-Bit asked. The car stopped, and two of them got out. One of them had a bottle of alcohol, the other a semi-beatle haircut. The one with the bottle went first. " C'mon, Cherry. Just 'cause we got a little drunk.." he started. " A little?! You call passing out in the streets ' a little'?!" Cherry interrupted. While they were arguing, the other guy was trying to talk to Marcia, who just glared at him.

" So you want to hang around these bubs and their piece of trash instead of me?!" the guy Cherry was fighting with shouted. I guess when he said trash, he was referring to me. We made ourselves look tough, just in case they wanted to start something. Two-Bit said, " I think they do. I know I would."

We would have laughed, but most of us were kinda scared. The one arguing with Cherry, Bob, I think, walked right up to us. I could see Johnny was shaking, but hiding it enough from the Soc. I could see why when I looked at him. He had on some rings, and I knew this was the same guy that jumped him. I started to get scared as well, 'cause these are the same guys that jumped **me**.

" We got more of us in the back seat, greaser." he warned. Two-Bit picked up a bottle, broke it, tossed it to Ponyboy, and whipped out his switchblade. " Pity the back seat!" he said in return. I was a little surprised Two-Bit could be so serious. Cherry ended up breaking them apart, and Ponyboy pulled her aside. While they were talking, Marcia went to the mustang, and Bob came up to us. " Listen. If you want a broad, pick up your own kind..." he stated. Before he finished, he looked right at me. " ....**dirt**." he finished. I just glared at him. He looked me over, and then grabbed my shirt collar, and pulled me forward.

I struggled, but he had a good grip for being almost drunk. He pulled my arm closer to him, and he started laughing. " So, I see we left a good reminder!" he said hatefully. I spat on his face, and he smacked me down. " Bob!" Cherry yelled. Fang and Johnny came to help me up, and Two-Bit and Ponyboy came to stand behind us.

As they walked to the car, we heard Bob mumble " trash...". Fang was growling, I guess that's how he got his name. The car finally drove off. " Are you okay, Keisha?" Johnny asked. " Yeah." I said, dusting myself off.

We continued our way home, and Two-Bit ripped up a piece of paper and toss it. " What was that?" Ponyboy asked. " Marcia's number. Probably a fake, too." Two-Bit replied. Two-Bit left to go to his house, and the rest of us continued to the lot. Johnny's folks were fighting again, but what else is new?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We went to the usual spot, and we started a fire. Me, Johnny, Fang, and Ponyboy were all laying back and looking at the stars. It was actually kinda peaceful, except for the fact we could hear Johnny's parents fighting. After a few minutes, Johnny sat up. " I can't take much more of this, guys. I..I'll kill myself or something!" he said sadly. " No, don't do that....things'll be better.." I said, sitting up as well. " I gotta do something.." Johnny finished.

We both laid back down, and looked up. " Y'know.." Fang started. " There's gotta be someplace without greasers, or Socs. Someplace.....with..regular people and simpler problems...." he continued. " It's like that out in the country...." Ponyboy replied. It seemed that I drifted off, 'cause one minute I'm listening to the guys, the next I'm being shaken awake by Johnny. " Keisha! Wake up!" he said. I woke up, and helped him get Ponyboy and Fang up.

" What time is it?" Ponyboy asked. " Dunno. We fell asleep, too." I explained. They got up and quickly went to Pony's house. Johnny and I stayed at the lot. We finally found something to cover ourselves with, and fell asleep. Although, it was short-lived, 'cause the next thing I know, I feel a body fall on top of me. " What th-?" I asked, looking up into Fangs gray eyes. Ponyboy got Johnny up, and said: " C'mon, guys. We're running away."

After we ran a good distance, Ponyboy broke down. " Pony, what happened?!" Johnny asked. " Darry hit me! We got along fine 'till mom and dad died, now he can't stand me!" Ponyboy said quickly. " Really?" I asked Fang. " I can't say about the whole ' can't stand me' part, but he **did** hit him." Fang answered. " I think I like it better when the ol' man's hittin' me. At least he knows I'm there.." Johnny stated.

" C'mon, maybe a walk around the park will cool me off." Ponyboy suggested. So, we headed to the park. Bad thing was, the blue mustang was trailing us. " Crap! It's them!" I warned the others. " Great." Fang said. We went and sat on the "monkey bars" as they drove near and got out. they had about five, so we could've probably taken them. Thing was, they were dead drunk. We got down and stood, ready for a fight.

" Hey, it's the greasers who tried to pick up our girls!" Randy slurred. We made ourselves look tough. Then, one of the others looked at me. " Hey, Keisha!" he said happily, or how you could sound happy when drunk. My blood ran cold. _" No! I can't know you!" _I thought to myself. The other three looked at me, so did the Socs. " Hey, what're you doing with these greasers?" Bob asked. " Wh-what're you talkin' about?" I stuttered. " Yeah.....what **are** they talkin' about, Keisha?!" Fang said suspiciously.

I looked around wildly from the boys to the Socs. " Quit playin' pretend, Keisha. You know you're a Soc, not a greaser!" Randy said, laughing. I couldn't stop my gasp escaping. " What?!" Fang shouted, turning on me. " N-No! I'm not one anymore! I-I lost everything! I-" I stuttered, trying to explain. But I was interrupted by Fang punching me. " You traitor!" he shouted as I hit the ground. Ponyboy was trying to keep Fang back, and Johnny just stood there, jaw dropped.

" Get 'em!" Bob shouted, and the fight was on. Two grabbed Ponyboy and dragged him to the fountain, and two kicked Johnny down. When Fang ran to help Ponyboy, the last one tackled him to the ground. " Johnny!" I shouted, getting up to run to him. The two who were keeping Johnny down ran and grabbed me. " You're a traitor to us!" one shouted. My eyes were squeezed shut from me trying to get out of their grip. Then, I heard a cry of pain, and I was dropped on the ground. Four of them bolted, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Bob doubled up in a pool of blood.

I looked over to Johnny, who collapsed slightly, and sat up by the fountain. I saw what he kept looking at as Fang pulled Ponyboy out of the fountain. It was his switchblade, covered in blood. " Johnny....you..didn't...." I said, my voice quavering. Ponyboy woke up minutes later. " I....I..killed him...." Johnny said slowly. Ponyboy went over and threw up at the sight of Bob. As Fang explained to Ponyboy what happened, Johnny went and cleaned his blade in the grass. I walked over, and put my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.

" Get away from him!" Fang shouted, making Johnny jump a little. I quickly moved back. " What're we gonna do?" I asked. " No, not you! Just me, Ponyboy, and Johnny, Soc!" Fang shouted. The way he seemed to just spit out the last word made me feel like he just hit me with a belt.

" Guys! Now is **not** the time to fight!" Johnny shouted. He got up, and was looking around. " Listen. We gotta find Dally." he continued. We headed over to Buck Merril's, and Dally came to the door. " What's up?" he asked. " Johnny killed a Soc.." Ponyboy said, shivering. " We thought you could get us out. I'm sorry I dragged you away from this party, but, I don't know what to do.." Johnny explained.

" Don't worry about it, I was just tryin' to get some sleep." he said. We went in, and went upstairs. " Fang, why're you lookin' at Keisha like that, huh?" Dally asked. Before he could answer, Johnny interrupted, saying, " It's a long story, Dal..."

When we got to the room, Dally handed us a loaded gun, gave Ponyboy a shirt and his jacket, and gave us some money. " Alright, listen. Take the early train to Windrixville, and there's an abandoned church on Jay Mountain. Hide out there, and once you buy a week's supply of things, don't even stick your noses out the door. I'll come up when I think the coast is clear." he instructed. So, we left the party, and went to wait for the train.

We jumped on when it came, and after we hid from the people who check the cars, we went to sleep. Fang wouldn't let me sleep anywhere near them, so I went a little ways away from them. " Who's gonna stay up?" Ponyboy asked. " I will." Fang replied.

So, I drifted off into an uneasy sleep. When I woke up, I noticed Johnny was asleep right next to me. At first, I thought I moved, but I was still in the same spot. Fang probably didn't notice. I quickly moved away from Johnny so Fang wouldn't see. He went to wake Ponyboy up, and shot me a death glare. I went to wake Johnny up, 'cause I knew we were gonna jump. We jumped from the car, and went to go to Jay Mountain. When we got in, we all went straight to sleep. ( Getting to the church took all day!)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I woke up earlier than usual, and noticed Johnny wasn't there. I went outside, and he was sitting on the steps. I was hesitant to sit down next to him. If my secret wasn't revealed, I would've just sat down. He noticed me, and what he said surprised me. " You can sit next to me. I don't bite."

I sat next to him, and we sat in uncomfortable silence. Finally, I said something. " I'm sorry." " For what?" he asked. I looked at him like he was crazy. " You don't remember?! I lied to you guys! I'm a Soc, well, used to be...but still. I betrayed your trust, and..." I started, feeling tears sting my eyes. " So? I don't care about what you **used** to be. You told me a few nights ago that after your parents died, your family took everything from you. I understand what you meant. What your class was didn't influence your personality." he explained.

By then, the tears were coming out. I was thankful he still wanted to be my friend, but I had to know why. " How? How can you be so forgiving?" I asked. " Because I know you well enough not to judge." he replied. When I looked over at him, he smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. " Thanks." I said quietly. He got up, and went inside. I followed, and he asked if I wanted to go to the store with him. I agreed, and while he wrote the note, I went to get ready.

At the store, we got the food, and I noticed that he grabbed some peroxide. I looked at him, and he didn't need to explain. " We're gonna bleach Pony's hair, and darken your's and Fang's. I can't really change the color of my hair....so I'll wash the grease out, and cut it." he explained. I nodded. Before we got into the line, Johnny looked down and picked up a book. It was _Gone With the Wind_. " Hey, you think Ponyboy would like this?" he asked. " Well, it'd be a good way to pass the time." I replied.

As we were in the checkout, the clerk looked at us funny. " Why do you need all this?" he asked. Johnny was trying to find an explanation, but I already had one. " We're going camping for a week. And it's not at one of those resort....places.." I explained, trying to remember what those places were called. " Oh...I see..." he said, winking. Both me and Johnny blushed. " It's not like **that**...." he said quietly.

Thankfully, he didn't ask anymore questions, and we left. On the way back, we were in silence. " So he thought..?" I asked, looking ahead. " Yep." Johnny answered. " Don't tell the other two?" I said. " Right." he said back. " Got it." I finished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We were met up by Ponyboy after we got on the hill. We went in, and showed the other two what we got. As Johnny was talking to Fang, I pulled Ponyboy aside. " Ponyboy, about what happened last night....." I whispered. He looked at me suspiciously, but was listening. " It's true, I was a Soc....but..my parents died. And....my family took everything...and left.." I explained. He looked like he didn't believe me.

" Please! It's the truth! I know I should've probably told you guys...but I-" I tried to say. " Hey, I understand. Anyway....I couldn't have been able to tell if you **were** a Soc in the first place." Ponyboy interrupted, smiling. I smiled back. " Thanks, Pony....now I just gotta get Fang to listen to me." I said.

Ponyboy looked concerned when he looked past me. I turned, and saw Fang glaring at me. I looked at Ponyboy, and he whispered: " Try to understand.... Fang's father was killed by a Soc, and Fang witnessed it. That's why his mom became a drunk, and why Fang is like this when it's dealing with Socs."

" Oh, my...." I said, feeling awful. " Hey, Ponyboy. Get away from the Soc and get over here!" Fang said bitterly. We both went over, and we took care of our hair. It was kinda painful, seeing that we could only use switchblades. After Ponyboy, Fang, and I dried our hair, Pony was a blonde now, I was a light brunette, and Fang's hair was almost black.

Afterward, we were just sitting around. " So....this is really happening...." Fang said. " Yeah..." Johnny replied, sighing. " It's hard to believe that just last night we were at the movies. Just last night we walked Cherry and Marcia home. Just last night, we went to the park...." Ponyboy said sadly. But before he could continue, Johnny got up and shouted, " Will you just shut up about last night?!"

He walked out of the church, and I followed after him. " Johnny! Wait up!" I shouted. When I caught up, I could see he was crying. " Johnny.. it'll be alright..." I started. " No, it won't! I killed a kid last night!" he said angrily. " He was probably only seventeen or eighteen and I killed him! How would you like to live with that, huh?!" he continued. He sat on the steps, shaking. " I didn't mean to....but they were drowning Pony and...and I didn't know what to do..." he said slowly. I sat next to him, the same way as I did the first night I was at his house.

" There sure is a lot of blood inside people..." he said after a few moments. I looked out across the grass, and noticed the fireflies were out. Johnny noticed, too. " I hate to say it....but, I'm really scared, Keisha." he said after a moment of silence. " You're not the only one, Johnny." I replied. We sat there a little while longer, just looking at the stars and the fireflies.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next few days were rough. We played Poker, read from _Gone With the Wind_, and surprisingly, Fang wasn't being as cold as he used to be to me. We sadly ate all the candy bars we had, and we were getting sick of baloney sandwiches. Then, finally, we made contact with the outside world. Dally came by, and took us to Dairy Queen for some food. I never knew he drove so recklessly! All of us were getting sick at every turn.

After he **finally** parked, he told us everything we needed to know. " Yeah. That Soc you killed, well, he had friends, and now it's greaser vs. Soc. We can't walk anywhere alone, so I started carryin' this." he started, showing us none other than a gun. " Dally, you kill people with heaters!" Ponyboy said worriedly. " You kill people with switchblades, too." he said flatly. " Anyway, there's gonna be a rumble. If the Soc's win, everything goes to the way it was. If we win, though, they stay on **their** territory for good." he continued, grinning wolfishly.

_" Fighting might not solve a thing.." _I thought to myself.

" When?" Fang asked. " Saturday. So...what's today?" Dally asked. " Tuesday." I replied. " Thanks. Oh! I forgot to mention, we got a spy for us." he said suddenly. We all looked at him, and he continued. " That one girl I tried to pick up....Cherry what's-her-face."

**Alright! Well...sadly, the story's almost over! Since the chapters here are so long, it seems that there are a few " Outsiders" chapters in just one of these. Well, anyway...please review, and I'll post another chapter as soon as I can!**


	4. Fire, Gunshots, and Feelings Revealed

**I own nothing except for 2 characters. " The Outsiders" is owned by S.E. Hinton.**

I felt my eyes get wide, Johnny gagged, Ponyboy almost dropped his sundae, and Fang's jaw dropped. " Cherry Valance?!" we all said at the same time. " Yeah..we were all at the lot when she drove up in her red Sting Ray. Pretty brave. We were all for jumpin' her, but Two-Bit stopped us. She said it was all her fault, and that she would let us know everything the Soc's are plannin' on doin'." he replied. After a few moments, Johnny spoke up and announced, " We're goin' back to turn ourselves in."

Now, Dallas gagged, swore, then demanded what Johnny meant. " We're turning ourselves in. We'll give you the gun and the money back, and we'll say we hitchhiked back here so you won't get in trouble, Dal. I mean, it's not fair that Darry and Soda's gotta worry about Ponyboy, and I'm **not** gonna want to live in that church my whole life." Johnny explained. Dally was shaking his head the whole time.

" Anyway, it's not like my parents are worried about me..." Johnny continued. " The guys are worried! Do you know that Two-Bit was gonna go to Texas to look for you guys?!" Dallas shouted. " I asked if my parents are worried!" Johnny said annoyed. " No! They didn't! Why, I mean, do you think **my** dad gives a hang if....I'm in jail or something?!" Dallas answered. Johnny said nothing more, and we all could see the hurt in his eyes.

Dally was extremely mad, but we drove out and to the church.

" Johnny.....are you sure about this?" Dally asked in a surprisingly worried tone. Me, Ponyboy, and Fang shared a glance of surprise as Dally pleaded with Johnny. Johnny nodded, sticking with his decision. Suddenly, Dally slammed on the brakes and shouted " Oh glory!" The church was on fire! " Oh no...." I whispered. Ponyboy jumped out of the car, and bolted to the church. Fang followed, and Johnny did as well.

Dallas kept threatening them to get back to the car, but, I was scared, and not because of the fire. I got out and went over to the two adults, who were trying to keep some kids calm. The other three were there, asking what happened. Then, a woman ran up and yelled " Some of the kids are missing!" As soon as she said that, we all heard screaming coming from the church. Johnny, Fang and Ponyboy all ran to the church, and found a way in.

Dallas ran up to me, and was cursing. " Don't think about it." he said, which I guess was directed to me. I heard a shout, and it sounded like Johnny. It didn't sound bad, but, I knew I had to help. I bolted in, Dallas yelling at me the whole time. I got in, and used something to cover my nose and mouth. I noticed that they were getting the kids out, and I was relieved. But, then I heard a splintering sound. I looked up, and there was a board that was gonna fall, right on Johnny!

I darted to Johnny, and shouted " Look out!" He turned, but I already tackled him out of the board's way. We made it just before the board hit us. " Keisha?!" he said surprised. " C'mon!" I shouted. But before we got to the window, I heard something that made my blood go cold. It was a faint scream. I could see Johnny heard it, too. I ran in the direction of the voice, Johnny shouting my name as I ran.

I found the kid, got back to Johnny, handed him the kid, and forced them out of the window. Then, I heard a few sounds of what seemed like " mini-explosions", and I felt a sharp pain in my side and back, and fell to the floor. I realized as I laid there, it was the gun that exploded, and two bullets hit me. I thought I was going to die, but, I yelled for help as loud as I could.

" Keisha?! Where are you?!" a familiar voice yelled. Next thing I knew, I was being picked up slightly. I looked to see, to my surprise, Fang! " Fang?! Why..?" I started. " I'm gettin' you outta here!" he shouted over the flames. He lifted his hand from my side, and shouted " What happened?!"

" Gun....exploded. Bullets....hit me.." I said slowly, feeling faint. He cursed, but wiped the blood off and made his way to the window with me. " No......leave me...go.." I said weakly. " No way!" he said defiantly. I looked at him, and he grinned his trademark grin. " I won't leave a member of the gang behind!" he continued. I felt him hold me up, and I felt Johnny and Ponyboy pull me up. Fang jumped out right as the church collapsed.

As I was fading, I heard them shouting Johnny's name, and a thump, then went into welcoming darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When I awoke, there was a bright light. I walked on, farther into it, and saw two figures standing in it. I recognized them, and tears came into my eyes as I identified them. " M-Mom? ...Dad?" I asked. They both smiled, and I was overcome with joy. " I can't believe it's you!" I said, taking a step forward. My father frowned, and said to my mother, " I don't want her to join us yet, honey..."

I was really confused. _" Join them..?" _I thought to myself. My mom nodded, and turned to me. " It's not your time, dear." she said kindly. " What? I don't....understand..." I said, the tears starting to fall. My father walked up, and said " There's someone who needs you down there."

I walked to them, and they quickly embraced me. I sobbed as I felt their warm arms wrap around me, something I longed for since they died. " You must go now, dear." my mother said, and her and my dad started to fade. " No! Please don't leave!" I sobbed. " We love you, Keisha. And we're always there..." my father said, smiling. Then, I felt a force pulling me away, out of the light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I woke with a jolt, and looked to see the worried face of Fang looking down at me. " What's the matter? Bad dream?" he asked. I sat up, a little painfully, and I noticed that I was really crying. " What happened?" I asked, trying to change the subject. " You don't remember?! You ran into the church, got hit by the gun's bullets, and I had to go in and save you." he explained. " How are the others?!" I asked worriedly, just remembering them. " Oh, Dally and Ponyboy are fine. We don't know about Johnny, yet. He keeled over after we got you out..." he answered.

" ....and **you** almost died..." he said suddenly. My eyes widened,and then I realized, it wasn't a dream. I really **was** with my parents, and they gave me my life back. I remembered the last thing they said to me: _" We love you, Keisha. And we're always there...." _

I smiled, and a few tears fell from my eyes. Fang cocked an eyebrow and asked, " You sure you're alright?" " Yeah.." I answered, wiping them away. We were silent, and then, I asked Fang something that's been on my mind. " Why?"

He looked over at me, a questioning look on his face. " What do you mean?" he asked. " Why did you save me?" I asked again. He sighed, and said something that surprised me. " You **are** my friend, ain't you?"

I stared at him, completely shocked. He noticed, and grinned. " I'm too lazy to hold a grudge." he replied. I smiled back. _" Looks like he **did** forgive me..."_ I thought to myself. After a few moments, Fang got up and asked, " You able to walk?"

I got up and proved it, and so we walked out to the lobby. Before I knew it though, I was picked up and swung around by none other than Two-Bit. " She's okay! She made it!" he shouted happily. I was being spun around so much between the gang members, you'd think I was doing ballet. " Easy, guys! I'm recovering still!" I said, smiling. After they finished spinning me around like a top, Dallas got up.

" I'm goin' to check on Johnny." he said. I went with him, and before we got to the room, the doctor came out. " Doc....can we see Johnny?" I asked. He sighed, and I thought he was gonna say something I don't wanna think about. " You can, but I doubt he'll know you're there." he replied. " What?! Why?!" Dallas demanded. " Well, from the shock and smoke inhalation, Johnny's fallen into a coma." he said flatly.

It seemed as though the whole hospital went dead silent. _" Johnny's....in a coma? Will he ever come out? This** has** to be a dream!" _I thought to myself. We went inside, and I was surprised to see that all he had hooked up to him was a heart monitor. He could breathe on his own, so that was good. I walked over and pulled a chair up to the side of his bed. We stayed in silence, and I said " He's....gonna be alright..."

I was trying to convince Dally, and.....myself. However, I suddenly felt a strong force grab me and slam me against the wall. I yelled out in pain, and I felt my bullet wounds open a little. When I opened my eyes, I saw the angry face of Dallas. He kept me pinned against the wall, his hand around my throat. " You!" he shouted, and called me every name under the sun. " W-What?!" I managed to say. He glanced at Johnny, and his grip tightened. " He just **had** to care about someone! He cared too much for you!" he shouted angrily.

I couldn't say anything, but I gave him a questioning look. " Johnny **loved** you! You were practically all he would ever talk about when you weren't around!" he shouted, dropping me. I was speechless. " Johnny will just get worse! He won't get out of this.....it's too late! It's all your fault! When he saw you at the church, it scared him half to death!" he shouted still. He punched the wall, then stormed out of the room.

After a few moments of sinking in everything that was said, I got up, and walked over to Johnny's bed. I was shaking and crying, but I managed to talk. " Johnny...I'm sorry for this...but, if there's any way you can hear me.. I just want to let you know...that... I... love you, too." I said, and before I left the room, I gently kissed him on his forehead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I left the room, still in tears, and the gang rushed over. " Keisha! Dally left in a hurry and..what th-? Keisha, don't tell us...." Darry asked. " No! He's not dead, but, he is in a coma." I said quickly, knowing what Darry was going to ask. Then, we all heard a woman's voice saying " But he's **my** son! I've went through sixteen years of my life raising him, and I** will** see him!"

Then, we saw a woman come, and stare at us with hate in her eyes. I figured it was Johnny's mother, for they had the same black hair, and the same dark eyes, but that's where it stops.

" He'd rather see you hoodlums than his own mother!" she said hatefully, spitting out the word " hoodlum" with pure hate. " No wonder he hates your guts!" Two-Bit said angrily. She paid no mind to him, and she walked right up to me. " And you......I could see how close he wanted to be to you...." she started. I looked at her with pure confusion, 'cause what was so bad about him loving me?

" He should have chosen someone better than you..." she continued. I couldn't help keep the surprised look coming onto my face, and I knew the guys were shocked as well. " What do you mean?" I asked, feeling anger rise in me. " He had better choices for a girl." she replied in a matter-of-fact way. I heard a few quiet gasps from the gang, and I said in return. " He should've had better choices for parents, too." I said hatefully.

She then smacked me, and with me being in my weakened state, I fell to the ground. " You little piece of trash!" she yelled. The guys were about to do something, but we all heard something we didn't expect.

" Don't you lay another finger on her!"

We all turned in the direction, and I almost cried. Standing there, in the doorway of the lobby, was Johnny, and instead of the fear and suspicion in his eyes, there was anger. Almost the whole gang gasped, and his mother turned in his direction, and walked toward him. " My son, you're-" she started, reaching out a hand. He swatted it away, which surprised everyone, and came over to help me up.

" So, you'd rather hold that piece of trash than hug your own mother?!" his mom asked angrily. He didn't answer. I looked up at him, and he just looked straight back at me. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, and pulled him up, demanding an answer. He looked at her, unafraid. " Yes. And she's **not** a piece of trash.....**you** are!" he said angrily. She let go of his collar and smacked him, but he barely moved.

It looked like she smacked a brick wall, 'cause that's how he stood. She finally got fed up and left, spitting on me as she walked away. Fang growled, and Two-Bit told her off. I got a paper towel and wiped it off, and I walked back to the gang. They were congratulating Johnny for standing up to his mom. When they were just talking amongst themselves, Johnny snuck away and walked over to me. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there like an idiot. We just stood in silence, both of us trying to figure out what to do.

I looked at him, and looked back down. " Johnny..." I started. Before I knew it, though, he had his arms around me, and I heard him whisper " Thank you."

I hugged him back, the tears returning again. We let go, and just looked into each other's eyes. " So...I guess you know my secret, huh?" he asked. I nodded. He blushed a little, and I just giggled. " What?" he asked. " It's not you, it's just, it's funny...'cause..." I began, taking a hold of his hand. He looked down, then back to me. " ...I feel the same." I finished. He gave me a surprised look, then he smiled. I can't begin to tell you how happy I felt, just being able to tell him the truth of how I feel.

" Hey, guys! Heads up! We've got some _lovebirds _in our midst!" Fang said. The gang looked over, and some went _awww _and " I knew it!". I didn't care, and I don't think Johnny does either. Then, Johnny turned and asked " Where's Dally?"

" He just stormed out of here." Ponyboy answered. So, we all got in the truck, and headed to the Curtis's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We got in, and took it easy for the night. It seemed perfect, until we got a phone call. Darry answered, and went into the other room to talk. " So....is this official?" Two-Bit asked, a sly look on his face. Me and Johnny shared a glance, and we both blushed. " It might.." Johnny said quietly. Darry then burst into the room. " Guys! That was Dally! He got in trouble with the cops, we gotta hide him!" he said in a rush.

I saw Johnny go pale, but I helped him up, and all of us bolted out of the house and to the park.

We ran, and we could all hear the sound of sirens. We saw Dally standing under the street light, and, before we knew it, he pulled out the gun, shouting " You'll never take me alive!"

I remembered what he said about the gun, that it wasn't loaded. " NO! DON'T SHOOT!" I screamed. The others were shouting things, but the cops started to shoot. Dallas was able to dodge them, but not well. " DALLY!" Johnny shouted. Dallas turned, and got shot in the arms and one of his legs. He fell, and rolled down the hill. " NO!" we shouted. We all ran, and we looked down on Dallas' motionless body. Darry cursed at the police, but they didn't hear.

Johnny was shaking violently, and I noticed tears forming in his eyes. I was crying, too, and I put my arms around him, to try and comfort him. Two-Bit knelt down next to him, checking his wounds. Ponyboy and Fang held their heads down, both slightly shaking. Steve and Soda were upset, too. " I'm sorry, Johnny.." I whispered. He nodded slightly to let me know he heard.

" He's alive!" Two-Bit shouted. Everyone looked in the direction of Dallas' body. When I looked closer, I could see he was faintly breathing. Johnny stood as though he was paralyzed. " I'll get the truck!" Darry shouted, breaking into a run. Soon, we were all in the truck, heading back to the hospital.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So, we were back again, only this time, we all were in the lobby waiting for Dally. Johnny was still shaking, and he had his fingers weaved, as though he was praying. I put my hand on his, and we both sat together, praying and hoping.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came out. " Well, doc?" Darry asked. " Your friend, the blonde?" he asked. We all nodded. " He'll be in recovery for a few days, but otherwise, he'll make a full recovery." he finished. We all seemed to breathe a big sigh of relief, especially Johnny. Sadly, we couldn't see him that night, so we all headed to the Curtis's, and **everyo****ne** spent the night there. Ponyboy, Soda, and Darry got their rooms, Fang got the couch, Two-Bit got the chair, and me, Johnny, and Steve got the floor.

The next morning, I woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. I got up, and went into the kitchen. " Good morning, Darry." I said kindly. " Morning, Keisha." he said, turning slightly. He asked me if I could go wake everyone else up, and I agreed. After I got everyone up, we all sat and had breakfast. " Nice hair, you guys." Two-Bit said, chuckling. Fang, who was sitting next to him, punched him in the arm.

Right after breakfast, we all got ready and headed to the hospital.

We entered the lobby, and Darry went to ask about Dally. The others were keeping themselves busy, and I pulled Johnny aside. " Johnny....I'm really sorry." I said quietly. " For what?" he asked. I looked up at him, and I sighed and said, " It was my fault that Dallas stormed out. He was so sure that you weren't gonna come out of that coma, he thought you were gonna die."

I saw Johnny's eyes get wide. " It was all because of me that you went into the coma, and this wouldn't of happened if I...... didn't come into the group.." I continued. " Hey. Don't talk like that! Sure, I was scared when I saw you, but it was a mix of the church burning and those kids, too." he said firmly. I nodded, letting him know I understand. I glanced over, and I saw my picture.

I did a double-take, and walked over to the newspaper stand. I picked up a paper, and read aloud: " Juvenile Delinquents Turned Heroes." It had a picture of me, one of Johnny, one of Ponyboy, one of Fang, and surprisingly, one of Dallas. The others came and looked at the paper, then congratulated us. Darry returned, and said we could see him. Two-Bit, Soda, Fang, and Steve ran to his room, while me, Ponyboy, Johnny,and Darry walked.

We entered, and Dallas looked over. Johnny was near the back, so Dally didn't see him. " Hey, Dal." Darry said happily. Dallas just sighed. I looked at Johnny, and he looked sad. I nudged him, and motioned for him to go up there. He slowly moved up to the front, and I saw Dally's jaw drop. " Hey, Dally." he said quietly. Dallas just sat there. Finally, he said, " Johnny? Y-You're outta that coma?"

Johnny nodded. Dallas did something he rarely does, smile. " _And_....there's something else." Fang said, suddenly pushing me forward. Johnny quickly caught me, saying " Careful, Fang!"

" What?" Dally asked. Both me and Johnny looked away, blushing. " Well, come on! Tell him what!" Fang pushed, grinning. " Uhhmmm..." Johnny said, trying to find the words. Fang groaned slightly and blurted out, " They're hooked up! Boyfriend-Girlfriend, you dig?"

Dally grinned, shook his head, and said " I knew you had it in ya, Johnnycake." We both smiled. Suddenly, Dallas smacked his forehead. " Aw, crap! Ain't the rumble tonight?!" he asked. The guys got surprised faces and some were saying " Oh, yeah!" or " I totally forgot!". Dallas fell back down on his pillow in a huff. " Great..." he muttered. Then, his face lit up. " Two-Bit! You got your switchblade?" he asked.

Two-Bit flicked it out, and gave it to Dally. " Thanks. Alright, that nurse'll be in soon, so I'll see you guys later." he said. We all left, in high hopes for Dallas, and the rumble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, we all got ready for the rumble. Me and Johnny quickly ran to his house, and we both got ready. I changed into a dark green T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Johnny had on a black T-shirt, and his blue jeans and jean jacket. " Ain't the jacket gonna get in the way?" I asked. " I'm gonna wear it over to Pony's, then keep it there 'til after the rumble." he explained. " Ah." I said, nodding.

Thankfully, Johnny's dad was out still, and his mom was passed out on the couch. We left without a problem, and quickly ran over to the Curtis's.

We entered, and Two-Bit and Steve were already there. " Hey, you two." Two-Bit said, glancing at us. " Hey." I said back. I noticed Ponyboy was asking everyone why they like to fight. Darry also mentioned to Ponyboy that he should be careful and use his head. " Yeah, Pony. I mean I use **my** head!" Soda said happily. " Yeah, to grow hair on! Let's go!" Darry yelled, running out the door.

Everyone was doing flips and cartwheels, so I joined by doing a backflip, doing a half-turn in the middle. It impressed some of the guys, and we went on disrupting the nightly peace. The guys started a chant:

Sodapop: " I am a greaser! I am a JD and a hood! I blacken the name of our city, I beat up people, and I rob gas stations. I am a menace to society, and boy, do I have fun!"

Darrel: " Juvenile Delinquent, you're no good!"

Two-Bit: "Get thee hence white trash, for I am a Soc. I am the privileged and well dressed, I throw beer blasts for fun, drive fancy cars, and break windows at fancy parties."

Me, Fang, Ponyboy, and Johnny: " What else do you do?"

Steve: " He jumps greasers! Whoo!"

We were all over the place, almost. Fang started to howl, and me, Ponyboy, and Johnny all joined in. We got to the lot, and we said our hellos to Shepard's Gang. We stood, waiting for the Socs to come. Then, a few minutes later, four or five cars filled with Socs pulled up, and we knew, it was on.

**Whoo Hoo! We're at the rumble! I'll get the next chapter posted as soon as I can! Reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Rumble and Court Hearing

**I own nothing except for 2 characters. " The Outsiders" is owned by S.E. Hinton.**

They all came out, and we stood tough. They were all dressed in madras, something I thought was weird. " Wouldn't those jackets get in the way?" I whispered to Johnny. He shrugged. " They like to show off..." he whispered back. Darry stepped out under the street light, and a Soc came. " Darrel." he said formally. " Paul." Darry said back. I looked at Johnny, and he whispered to me " Darry and that Paul-guy used to pal around. It's kind of a long story."

I just nodded, and turned back to Darry and Paul. Paul looked over at me. " What're you tryin' to pull, Darrel?" he asked. " What?" Darry asked. " You can't plainly see that there's a **girl** standing with your group?" he replied, starting to chuckle. I felt my face get hot, and it wasn't embarrassment, it was anger. " Actually, she's part of my gang, so she can be here." Darry said calmly. Some of the Socs laughed.

I looked over at Fang, and I could actually **see** the anger welling up in him. He had his fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles were white, and his teeth were bared, as if growling. I felt so bad, but I couldn't think about it now. I had a rumble to think about. Just as Paul was about to throw the first punch, we were interrupted. " Hold up! You know a rumble ain't a rumble without me!"

All I could do was grin. _" Dally, Dally, Dally...."_ I thought, slightly shaking my head. As he jumped onto a car, the first punch was thrown. It was on!

I looked around, and a Soc stepped right in front of me. " Y'know, you should go home. Don't wanna get that pretty face of yours messed up!" he taunted. I thrust my fist into his gut, and as he bent over, I got him good in the back. As he was on the ground, he looked up and I taunted " Looks like that.....pretty **ugly** face of yours got messed up!"

He just groaned, and I smirked at him. " Killer! You deserve this!" a Soc yelled. I turned to see them ganging up on Johnny. I ran over, and with Dally's help, got Johnny out and pummeled them. " You fight pretty good!" Dally said quickly. " You, too!" I said back, ducking a Soc's swing. I felt myself get tackled, and I was getting the crap beat outta me. " Hang on!" Johnny yelled, pulling the Soc off and punching him to the ground. He helped me up, and I smiled at him.

He blushed, but we went back to the rumble. " Whoo! They're running! Look at them little ------- run!" Two-Bit yelled. I noticed they were all running back to their cars. We all were whooping and yelling like we were crazy. Fang started howling, louder than ever, and me, Johnny, and Ponyboy joined. It became our thing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, after we got...slightly..cleaned up from the rumble, Soda and Steve threw a huge party. They made chocolate cakes, the gang's staple, they had the music blaring, and it was fun. We were all laughing, saying what we did in the rumble, showing our..." battle scars", if that's what you want to call our bandaged arms, faces, and hands. Me, Johnny, and Darry sat on the couch, Ponyboy and Fang were sitting on the chair, one on each arm. Two-Bit sat **in** the actual chair part, which might have been stupid, knowing Fang was right there, and Two-Bit at his mercy.

Dally and Steve were sitting on the arms of the couch, and Soda happily took the floor. They were busy talking loudly, so me and Johnny talked to each other. " Thanks for getting that Soc off of me." I said thankfully. " Don't thank me, I should thank you and Dally. I thought I was really gonna die this time!" Johnny said, chuckling a little. I laughed a little, too. " Hey! Johnnycake and Keisha!" Fang said aloud. We turned in his direction, and everyone was snickering. " What?" I asked.

" C'mon, we all know you two are gonna hook up, so why not kick this night off with a bang and kiss already?!" he said, grinning. Both me and Johnny automatically blushed. " Uhhh...well.." Johnny whispered, avoiding everyone's gaze. I was doing the same, trying to find something to say. " Do it! Do it! Do it!" they started to chant. I looked over to Johnny, who looked at me.

I sighed. " They probably won't leave us be unless we do, huh?" I asked. He nodded shyly. I felt my face get hotter as I thought about what's gonna come. Johnny turned a little toward me, and I did the same. I felt my heart race as we got a little closer. " Quiet down, guys! They're gonna do it!" Fang said quickly. I closed my eyes, and I felt his lips touch mine, and we kissed. I heard sounds from the gang, 'cause, of course, they acted up.

Two-Bit whistled, Ponyboy went " Yeow!", and the rest of them either clapped or went " Oooooh!".

We finished, and we just stayed there, looking into each other's eyes. " Man! I never would've imagined this would happen!" Soda exclaimed. " Yeah, before we know it, they'll be married, and have kids...and we'll be uncles to 'em!" Two-Bit said, wiping a fake tear away. I smiled, too happy to keep it in.

" I knew you had it in ya, Johnnykid." Dally said, grinning. Johnny smiled shyly. After the party, Dally left, and so did Two-Bit and Steve. " See ya, guys." I said to Fang and the Curtis brothers. Me and Johnny headed to the lot, and did the usual. As we sat, looking at the stars, I sighed and said, " It's strange."

" What is?" he asked. " These past few days.... so much has happened." I explained. " Yeah." he agreed. Then, something hit me. " Johnny! We still have to go to court!" I said worriedly. He got a look of surprise, then leaned back and said " Crap, you're right! I completely forgot."

I could see he was getting nervous. " Don't worry. You've got me, Fang, Ponyboy, **and** Cherry to help you. We all know it was self defense." I said reassuringly. " Yeah..." he said, his voice a little shaky. I scooted a little closer to comfort him, ( and the fact I was kinda cold..) and he relaxed a little. We sat in silence for a few minutes, then Johnny broke it. " I'm glad you joined..." he said nicely.

I smiled.

" I am, too." I replied. So, we sat there, then drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day was hectic. We found out we had the court hearing that day, and we were all kinda nervous. Darry drove us all up there, and boy, was there tension! I'll tell you, though, stressing that it was, it was kinda boring compared to what I saw on T.V.

In the defendant's area stood me, Johnny, Ponyboy, and Fang. We all went on the stand, and me, Ponyboy, Fang, Cherry, and surprisingly Randy, all testified that it was self-defense, and that Bob and them were all drunk. After the jury's deliberation, the judge called us to stand.

" Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked. " We have, your honor." a juryman replied. Johnny was shaking, so I took his hand, and he relaxed slightly. " In the case of Johnny Cade versus Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon, we find the defendant....." he started. My heart raced. "......innocent of all charges." he finished. Things were deathly quiet as the judge said " This court is adjourned."

He hit his gavel, and people were filing out of the courtroom. When we got outside, we all started yelling and whooping and cheering. I hugged Johnny, in spite of myself, and since we were both moving, he twirled me around and hugged me back.

Seriously, though, we were acting so wild that we were jumping and doing flips and turns all the way to the car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" Crank the music! Break out the beer! It's time to party!" Soda and Steve yelled simultaneously. " We just had a party the night before!" I said. " So?! Let's do it!" Fang said, running to the jukebox. I rolled my eyes, and sat down on the couch. Johnny sat next to me, and was holding his head. " What's wrong?" I asked. " Slight headache... and the music's not helping much.." he said, making a small grin.

I got up, and suggested we go for a walk instead. " You sure? I don't want to drag you away from this..." he said, glancing at me. I rolled my eyes again, and I picked him up by his arm. We headed out, and we walked. " Y'know....you're too nice." I said. He blushed, and asked " Really?"

I giggled. " And that's why I like you." I continued. He chuckled, and said " Well, on my end, I've never met a girl like you, and that's why I like you."

After a few moments of silence, I said " Hard to believe we're known as heroes." " Yeah..." he replied. Then, a thought occurred to me. I smiled. _" I may not be as flashy, but, maybe I am one of those heroines in the books..."_

**Sad to say, this is it. The Grand Finale! If you guys want me to make a sequel to this, please say in a review. Hope you liked it! Sorry this chapter is so short, but it is the last chapter...**

**^_^'**

**BTW, even if I don't get any reviews saying so, I'll probably still make a sequel.  
**


End file.
